Automatic dam.



W. L. MARSHALL.

AUTOMATIC DAM.

APPLICATION FILED 13130.2. 191s.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

2' SHEETS-SHEET 1.

rHE NORRIS PETERS CO.. FHOTO-LITHD wAsHlNcmN, D. c

W. L. MARSHALL.

AUTOMATIC DAM. APPLICATION FILED DBG.Z. 1913.

Patented Feb. 16, 1915.

2 SHEETSSHEBT 2 lglfgi LIP.

ATTORNEYS 7H5 NORRIS PETERS CO PHOTOVLITHOV. WASHINGTON, D. C.

ivrrnn erase a rn r WILLIAM L. MARSHALL, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

AUTOMATIC DAM.

Application filed December 2, 1913.

To all 107mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. MAR- SHALL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of I'Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have made certain new and use ful Improvements in Automatic Dams, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic devices for the purpose of regulating the flow of water, such as dams, gates, or weirs, and it consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a device which is an improvement over that disclosed in my prior Patent #596,755 of January 1898. In the patent cited a by draulic chamber was provided, into which water could be admitted or withdrawn. Means were provided for raising the dam,

gate, or weir by withdrawing water from the hydraulic chamber. When water was admitted into the hydraulic chamber the dam would be lowered. In the patent cited the upstream face of the dam or weir was always in physical contact with the water in the stream or reservoir which was controlled by the dam. In the device which forms the subject of the present application the part of the gate or dam which moves in the hy draulic chamber is shut off from contact with the water upstream, the hydraulic chamber itself being closed on the upstream side except through certain operating conduits as hereinafter explained.

A further object of my invention is to provide a siphon which cooperates with the operating conduits and valves in such a manner that the dam or crest will be made to fall down when a predetermined fluid height or water level is attained and again raised when the fluid shall have subsided to a predetermined and fixed lower level.

A further object of my invention is to provide an automatic dam or gate which will closely regulate fluid heights between fixed limits by reliable and purely automatic means, thereby dispensing with the need of attendants.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification and the novel features of the device will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accom- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. I6, 1215..

Serial No. comer.

panying drawings forming part of this application in which Figure 1 is a vertical section through the device taken parallel with the flow of the stream, Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion of the device, Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of a modified form of the device, and Fig. 4 is a vertical section similar to Fig. 1 of the form shown in Fig. 3.

Referring now to Fig. 1 I have shown the body portion 1 of the base or sub-structure of the dam. This may be of any suitable material, such as concrete, etc. It is flanked 011 either side by piers such as that shown at 2 in Figs. 1 and 2. In Fig. 2 only one of these piers is shown, but it will be understood that the companion pier is of similar shape to that shown, so as to form a water way between the two. The dam is designed to be located so as to control the flow from a stream of water or reservoir. The upper surface of the body portion 1 is formed in the manner clearly indicated in Fig. 1. From this figure it will be seen that the upper surface 1 of the body portion next to the reservoir is slightly inclined upwardly from the reservoir to a point 1*, thence downwardly and rearwardly to a point 1, forwardly to 1 upwardly to 1, from whence it extends forwardly and downwardly to a point 1*, this latter point being at the extreme edge of the dam. Hinged at the point 1 is the movable portion of the dam. This consists preferably of a leaf bent at the point where it is hinged so as to constitute an upper portion 3 and a lower por tion 41, these portions being joined together by means of one or more braces such as those shown at 5. Hinged to the lower portion 4; at 6 is a leaf 7 whose lower end is in engagement with the surface of the body portion 1 between the points 1 and 1 Secured to the body portion 1 by means of bolts 8 or other suitable fastening means are stops or rests 9 which are placed at intervals transversely of the flow of the stream between the piers 2 on either side.

Near the bottom of one of the piers, such as the pier 2 shown in Fig. 2, is a forwardly extending conduit 10 which communicates with a transverse pipe 11, the latter in turn communicating by means of a series of inlets 12 with the chamber 13 which is formed by the recessed portion of the body of the dam between the points 1 and 1 and the lpwer leaf 4 of the movable portion of the am.

Communicating with the conduit and the pipe 11 and preferably disposed at their junction is a siphon 13 which is formed in the body of the pier or which may be a pipe inclosed in the pier. The bend in the siphon, it will be observed from Fig. 1, is at 13 and this is on a level with the predetermined high water line indicated at H. W. L. at the left of the figure. The lower end of this siphon passes out of the pier at a point Y, which is at or below low water level.

An air duct 14 extends from the predetermined low water level intake above the dam at L. 'VV. L. and communicates with the siphon 13 at the bend 13*.

A gate 15 is provided for cutting off the flow of water from the reservoir into the conduit 10. This gate may be operated by means of a rod 16 extending to an operating wheel 17 disposed in some convenient place as at the top of the pier 2.

In order to support the movable portion of the dam when the latter is in its lower position I provide a cross beam 18 whose ends are disposed in the opposed piers. An air passage 19 extends downwardly through the top of the pier and thence laterally through the inner side of the pier, as shown at 19*. An air duct 20 has its inlet at 20 and its outlet at20 It will be noted that the outlets of the air ducts 19 and 20 are below the outer ends of the portion 3. The reasontherefor will be explained later.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device the operation there of may be readily understood. As stated previously the purpose of the device is to keep the height of the water in the reservoir or stream within certain limits. these limits being between the points H. W. L. and L. W. L. in Fig. 1. Consider the conditions when the water is at the lower level, as shown in Fig. 1 with the gate 15 opened. The water will enter the conduit 10 and will pass through the pipe 11 and the inlets 12, thereby forcing the hinged leaf upwardly until the portion 4 engages the abutment 9. The chamber 13 under these conditions will be filled and the pressure of the water will hold the movable portion of the dam in its upper position. The water will now rise in the reservoir being held back by the portion 3 of the hinged leaf and flow over the dam until it may reach at flood the fluid level intake at H. W. L. At this point the siphon 13 will be filled and will start to flow. This will reduce the pressure in the chamber 13 to such an extent that with the weight of the water against the upstream of the portion 3 the dam or gate will be swung downwardly on its hinges into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1. The portion 3' of the leaf then rests on the support 18. The siphon will continue to flow until the lower water level is reached when air will flow through the air duct 1%, thus breaking the siphon and stopping the flow of water through the latter. The water entering the conduit 10 will then pass through the pipe 11 and into the inlets 12 into the chamber 13, and will again raise the gate or dam into its upper position.

The purpose of the hinged leaf 1' is to offeet a tight joint, so as to assist in retaining the water in the chamber. This hinged member is drawn over the inclined planes at the bottom of the hydraulic chamber. The fact that the leaf 7 is hinged permits it to pass over any small obstructions and gives elasticity to the system or arrangement which it would otherwise lack.

By varying the inflow in the conduit 10 through the manipulation of the gate 15 and thus increasing or lessening the relative capacity of the conduits 10 and 11 and the siphon 13, it is found that the weir or movable gate may be made to assume a position of equilibrium at any level between the down and raised position.

It will be noted that the angle between the parts 3 and 4, which constitute the hinged leaf should be not less than 190 nor more than 150. This facilitates the anchoring of the gate to the dam or spilluury. Under this angle the overflow from the crest will be clear so as to not touch the gate or to batter it to pieces by ice or drift falling over the crest. Moreover the resultant pressures on the entire gate will have such direetions as to be readily taken up by anchorages attached to the dam without undue cutting or drilling for placing the same.

Referring again to the drawings it will be seen that the air conduit-s open at 19 and 20 under the movable crest in the extreme positions of the latter. This is for the purpose of supplying air to remove partial vacuums which form there and which tend to increase the pressure on the movable leaf so that when the gate or leaf is down it re quires more force to raise it. These conduits may be placed in any part of the area under the crest affected by such partial va cuums.

In Figs. 3 and 4-. T have shown a modified form of the device in which the body portion 1 has an extension 1? upon which the eye beam 18 is carried. This extension may be carried higher, even to the gate. The inner side of the extension l. is provided with stops 9 at intervals which are arranged to be engaged by the portion 4* of the movable leaf. Instead of having the air ducts extend to the top and inner sides of the pier 2* they may extend to the forward edges as shown at 19 and 20" in Fig. 4. In this form of the device it is advantageous to provide outlet conduits 21. The form shown in Figs. 3 and t operate upon the same principle as that shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the siphon automatically controlling the height of the water.

I claim:

1. In a device for regulating the height of water in streams, reservoirs and the like, a hinged leaf having a portion arranged to resist the passage of water, an integral portion angularly disposed with respect to the first named portion, and automatic means controlled by the height of the water in the stream or reservoir for alternately subjecting said last named portion to hydraulic pressure and withdrawing the pressure, thereby raising or lowering the leaf.

In a device for regulating the height of water in streams, reservoirs and the like, a base portion having one face contiguous to said stream or reservoir, the opposite face being provided with a recess, opposed piers disposed at the sides and inte ral with said base portion, said piers projecting above said base portion to constitute a spillway, leaf having an angular bend hinged to said base at the top of said recess, a portion of said leaf being adapted to check the flow of the water through the spillway, the other portion of the leaf being arranged to be moved by the pressure of water in the recess, and automatic means for alternately admitting water into the recess and for withdrawing it therefrom.

3. In a device for regulating the height of water in streams, reservoirs, and the like, a base portion having one face contiguous to said. stream or reservoir, the opposite face being provided with a recess, opposed pier. disposed at the sides and integral with said base portion, said piers projecting above said base portion. to constitute a spillway, a leaf having an angular bend hinged to said base at the top of said recess, a portion of said leaf being adapted to check the flow of the water through the spillway, the other portion of the leaf being arranged to be moved by the pressure of water in the recess, automatic means for alternately admitting water into the recess and for withdrawing it therefrom, and means carried by said base for limiting the movement of the last named portion of the leaf.

i. In a device for regulating the height of water in streams, reservoirs, and the like, a base portion, a leaf having an angular bend, means for hinging the leaf to the base portion at the angular bend, a hydraulic chamber disposed in said base, one portion of said leaf forming a closure for said hydraulic chamber, means for admitting water into the chamber, thereby causing an outward movement, of said last named portion of the leaf, and automatic means controlled by the (55 height of the water in the reservoir or stream for withdrawing the water from said hydraulic chamber.

5. In. a device for regulating the height of water in streams, reservoirs, and the like,

a dam having a body portion provided with a hydraulic chamber, a movable leaf comprising a plate having an angular bend, said plate being hinged at its angular bend to the upper portion of said dam adjacent to said hydraulic chamber, one portion of said leaf being arranged to form a closure for said chamber and to enter the chamber when the latter is empty, means for introducing water from said reservoir into said chamber and withdrawing it therefrom, said means comprising a conduit having communication with said chamber, a siphon having its short end in communication with said conduit, and means controlled by the height of the water in the reservoir for breaking the flow of the siphon.

6. In a device for regulating the height of water in streams, reservoirs, and the like, a dam having a body portion provided with a hydraulic chamber, a movable leaf comprising a plate having an angular bend, said plate being hinged at its angular bend to the upper portion of said dam adjacent to said hydraulic chamber, one portion of said leaf being arranged to form a closure for said chamber and to enter the chamber when the latter is empty, means for introducing water from said reservoir into said chamber and withdrawing it therefrom, said means comprising a conduit having communication with said chamber, a siphon having its short end in communication with said conduit, and means controlled by the height of the water in the reservoir for breaking the flow of the siphon, said last named means comprising an air duct extending from the bend of the siphon to the predetermined lower water level of the reservoir.

7. In a device for regulating the height of water in streams, reservoirs, and the like, a dam comprising a body portion, one face of the dam being contiguous to the stream or reservoir, the opposite face being provided with a chamber, a pier disposed on each side of said body portion, the space between the piers constituting a spillway, a movable leaf having an upper portion and a lower portion, said portions being integral and being angularly disposed with respect to one another, means for pivotally connecting said leaf at its angle to said body portion, the lower portion of said leaf constituting a closure for said chamber, an inlet conduit carried by said pier, a pipe disposed. in the body portion and communicating with the inlet conduit, means connecting said last named pipe with said chamber, a siphon communicating at its short end with said conduit, and an air duct communieating at one end with a predetermined lower Water level of the reservoir and at the other end with the bend of said siphon.

8. In a device for regulating the height of water in streams, reservoirs, and the like, a dam having a body portion, one face of said dam being contiguous to said reservoir, the opposite face being provided with a hydraulic chamber, piers disposed at each side of the dam and extending above the dam, the space between the piers constituting a spillway, a leaf having an angular bend, said leaf being pivotally connected to said body portion at the angular bend, one portion of said leaf being arranged to swing into and out of said chamber, means for limiting the outward movement of said portion, an auxiliary hinged leaf secured to the bottom of said portion, the lower end of said hinged leaf being arranged to engage the bottom of the chamber, and means dependent upon the height of the water in the reservoir for admitting water from the reservoir into the chamber and for Withdrawing it therefrom.

9. In a device for regulating the height of water in streams, reservoirs, and the like, a dam having a body portion, one face of said dam being contiguous to said reservoir, the opposite face being provlded with a hydraulic chamber, piers disposed at each side 1.

of said dam and extending above the dam, the space between the piers constituting a spillway, a leaf having an angular bend, said leaf being pivotally connected to said body portion at the angular bend, one portion of said leaf being arranged to swing into and out of said chamber, means for limiting the outward movement of said portion, an auxiliary hinged leaf secured to the bottom 01' said portion, the lower end of said hinged leaf being arranged to engage the bottom of the chamber, means dependent upon the height of the water in the reservoir for admitting water from the reservoir into the chamber and for withdrawing it therefrom,

said last named means comprising a conduit connected with said chamber, and a siphon having its short end connected with said conduit.

WILLIAM L. MARSHALL.

\Vitnesses:

C. J. BLANCHARD, L. I. LITTLEPAGE.

Copies! of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

